Rockville ends Frontier baseball season

Kyle Mikesell came out on the wrong end of a pitchers’ duel Saturday against Rockville.
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FLORA – Frontier senior Brandon Gallinger took a solid cut and ripped a pitch back up the middle and past the pitcher's mound.

Like many of the Falcons' best-hit balls against Rockville starter Dalton Laney on Saturday, Gallinger's potential single found a glove. Rox second baseman Cameron Helderman started a double play that stifled the rally.

One out later, the Falcons' goal of pushing through the state tournament was over. Laney finished off his four-hitter, and No. 5 Rockville moved on with a 3-1 Class A Carroll Regional semifinal victory over Frontier.

"We prepared for him all week," Frontier senior pitcher and second baseman Kyle Mikesell said. "He's a sophomore, so he's got a big future ahead of him. He threw strikes, he threw his curveball well and he shut us out, so props to him."

Frontier (25-6) had won nine of its last 10 games and was playing in its first regional since 2008. But a team known for its talented hitting tradition could never get its offense going against Laney, a right-hander who walked one, didn't allow an earned run and struck out four.

"He threw strikes — that's all you've got to do to win a baseball game," Frontier senior third baseman Carson Svoboda said. "We just put the bat on the ball and they made plays on the infield, outfield — they did everything very well."

Mikesell (5-1) overcame an April injury to produce a strong season. The senior pitched around a pair of first-inning walks and an error and did not allow a hit until the fourth.

Rockville first baseman Craig Overpeck singled with one out in the fourth, an an error and a hit batsman loaded the bases. One out later, Rox No. 9 hitter Lucas Monroe drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk on a 3-2 pitch to force in the game's first run.

The Rox chased Mikesell in the fifth and added two more runs when Tyler Rapp scored on a wild pitch and Dalton Clark drove in Laney with an RBI single.

"I thought (Mikesell) threw well," Frontier coach Ryan Long said. "We had a couple of walks and an error ot two in there that extended a couple of innings. At this level, you have to make every play and not give them free baserunners."

Frontier's only run came in the sixth, when Mikesell led off with a single and later scored on Cole Fesler's bases-loaded walk. Austin Byrd reached on an infield single leading off the seventh, but with the infield shielding up the middle at double-play depth, Gallinger's hard grounder turned into two big outs.

"That's baseball for you — you can't win them all," said Mikesell, who had two of Frontier's four hits. "They executed pretty well today and we made some plays that hurt us pretty bad. They're a good team. I leave this program with my head held high that I left it all on the field."